Where's the snow? Dry air keeps snow totals down

Thursday

A fourth March nor’easter didn't bring as much snow as expected, but made for a messy Thursday morning commute.

The worst of the storm stayed to the south, and when it moved north, it was met by some very dry air.

“As the bands of snow tried to move in, the dry air just ate away at a lot of that snow,” StormTeam 5 meteorologist Cindy Fitzgibbon said. “A lot of the snow is falling and melting on contact, but it may be a little sloppy as you are getting out there this morning.”

Most areas of Massachusetts will see a coating to an inch of snow, with some towns south of the city seeing up to 2 inches of snow. The snow should taper off by noon.

Boston school leaders made the call Wednesday evening to cancel school Thursday despite the uncertain forecast.

"Although we're facing some uncertainty in the forecast, Boston is taking the precautionary measure to cancel school tomorrow to ensure the safety of our students," said Mayor Walsh. "While the City is prepared to keep our streets, residents, and students safe, I ask residents to once again help us by checking on their neighbors, clearing the sidewalks and pedestrian ramps around their property, and staying off the roads when possible."

It is the city’s sixth snow day of the year. The last day of school is now set for June 28.

School leaders explained that weather forecasts called for a dicey morning commute, which is a safety issue.

Revere, Winthrop, Everett and several other schools also canceled classes Thursday.

While some parts of Pennsylvania saw more than a foot of snow from the storm, major cities along the Interstate 95 corridor saw much less.

Downtown Philadelphia got 7 inches and New York City's Central Park recorded a little less than 7.

Airlines canceled more than 4,000 flights Wednesday. On the ground, Amtrak scaled back service on the Northeast corridor between Washington and Boston, and some states banned trucks from major highways.